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Burnout, ProfessionalNCT02736045

Ameliorating Work Burnout and Medical Residents

A study testing emWave in people with Burnout, Professional and Depression, run by Larkin Community Hospital at 1 site in United States.

Withdrawn

Withdrawn. The study stopped before anyone enrolled.

Official record
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Trial summary

Prior research has demonstrated that during residency years, in particular training to obtain a medical specialty, work burnout is a very prevalent problem. Work burnout is defined as a syndrome of dysfunction in three domains, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 25 to 50 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Burnout, Professional, Depression, Stress
What is being tested?
emWave
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
0 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
1 Jul 2015to 30 Jul 2016
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 25 to 50 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Must be a medical resident attending a valid residency program from either Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Surgery or Psychiatry at Larkin Community Hospital

Who cannot join

None listed.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Larkin Community Hospital

    South Miami, Florida, 33143

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: The Impact of Work Burnout on Sleep Quality and Negative Emotions in Medical Residents: An Intervention for Improving Wellbeing in Graduate Medical Education

Prior research has demonstrated that during residency years, in particular training to obtain a medical specialty, work burnout is a very prevalent problem. Work burnout is defined as a syndrome of dysfunction in three domains, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. (Maslach et. al., 1981). Often, burnout has been associated with poor sleep quality and negative affectivity, such as depression and anxiety. In fact, our preliminary data demonstrate that burnout in medical residents affects sleep quality, and increases negative emotions. Strikingly, burnout in medical residents negatively impacts working performance as well as patient-physician interactions, and hence may affect the quality of health care. However, lacking are studies aimed at understating how work burnout affects cognitive performance and decision making in medical residents. The proposed study will provide essential groundwork in demonstrating the link between burnout and impaired cognitive performance. In addition, the proposed study will demonstrate feasibility for a future trial to test whether an intervention, emWave, integrating a computer based stress management (resilience training), can have a positive impact on residents with high burnout symptoms. The amelioration of psychological risk factors in medical residents may lead to improved physician-patient relationships in the service of improved quality of care.

Read the detailed description

Background: Burnout during residency years, in particular training to obtain a medical specialty, has been well recognized. Often, burnout has been associated with poor sleep quality and negative affectivity, such as depression. However, aspects of positive emotion that have been linked to improved physical and mental health, such as trait forgiveness (TF), have been poorly explored.

For instance, according to statistics, depression in residents is as high as twenty-five percent, while residents' suffering from depression with resident burnout (defined as an occupational related syndrome of emotional exhaustion and low sense of professional accomplishment) is as high as seventy-six percent. In fact, first-year residents, with a sense of high well-being, experience great level of burnout and depression by the end of their first year. ( www.aafp.org, Yi M.S. et al. , 2007 ; Shanafelt T.D. et al. ,2002 ; Richman J.A. et. al. , 1992)

There are two specific aims my collaborators and I are focusing on in in this two-phase study:

Specific Aim 1: To explore the impact of work burnout on cognitive performance and psychological functioning in medical residents. Mounting evidence points towards the conclusion that work burnout can have a negative effect on psychological functioning in medical residents. We will test the working hypothesis that work burnout will be associated with poor cognitive performance, poor sleep quality, and high negative affectivity. Our approach is to use self-reported cognitive impairment and cognitive performance tasks designed to measure three basic processes underlying executive control: (i) updating, (ii) inhibition, and (iii) switching. Negative affective symptoms will be measured using validated psychometric scales for depression (Beck Depressive Inventory; BDI), anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; STAI), and anger (State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2; STAEI-2). Sleep quality will be assessed via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

Specific Aim 2 - To examine the impact of an 8-week computer based resilience training intervention on work burnout, cognitive performance, and affectivity in medical residents. Our approach will be to test the impact of this intervention through a SmartPhone (e.g Android Phone or Iphone) application, emWave software, which will be provided to all our subjects. emWave is a tool that reduces stress by allowing individuals to be less reactive, think clearly, and make good decisions, especially under pressure. Fifty medical residents with high burnout symptoms will be randomized to receive an 8-week intervention (INT; n=25) or sham control (CON; n=25).

Being tested
emWave
Medical subject headings
Burnout, Professional, Depression, Anxiety Disorders

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • emWaveDevice

    Also called INT

    Our approach will be to test the impact of this intervention through a smartphone application, emWave software, which will be provided to all our subjects. emWave is a tool that reduces stress by allowing individuals to be less reactive, think clearly, and make good decisions, especially under pressure. Fifty medical residents with high burnout symptoms will be randomized to receive an 8-week intervention (emWave - computer based resilience training program).

Study groups in NCT02736045
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
ControlNo interventionSham control. Subjects will be asked to write a journal (per week).
emWaveExperimentalOur approach will be to test the impact of a behavioral intervention through a smartphone application, emWave software, which will be provided to all our subjects. The intervention (emWave) is a tool that reduces stress by allowing individuals to be less reactive, think clearly, and make good decisions, especially under pressure. Fifty medical residents with high burnout symptoms will be randomized to receive an 8-week intervention.
Receives: Device: emWave

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in Work Burnout Symptoms ( measured by Maslach Burnout Inventory) (Of note, changes in Work Burnout Symptoms & Findings by Medical Residents will be attempted to be observed)

    Work Burnout will be measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI:Maslach et. al., 1981). The MBI consists of 22 items that are broken up into three dimensions of burnout: a) nine items relating to emotional exhaustion, b) five to depersonalization, and c) eight to personal accomplishment.

    Measured: Change from baseline work burnout symptoms after 8 weeks

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Change in Depression ( measured by Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale) (Of note, changes in Depressive Symptoms by Medical Residents will be attempted to be observed)

    Depression will be measured using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D; Radloff 1977, Santor and Coyne 1997).

    Measured: Change from baseline depressive-like symptoms after 8 weeks

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted13 Apr 2016 (estimated)
  2. Study start1 Jul 2015 (estimated)
  3. Primary completion30 Jul 2016
  4. Study completion30 Jul 2016

Why it stopped: Study Period Ended / Not Completed

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Other
Allocation
Non-randomised
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
0 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02736045
Sponsor's protocol ID
LCH-1-032015
Status last verified
Oct 2023
First submitted
27 Apr 2015
Last updated
16 Oct 2023
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
Individual data sharing
Undecided

Publications

  • Santor DA, Coyne JC. Shortening the CES-D to improve its ability to detect cases of depression 9(3) : 233-243, 1997.

  • Maslach C, Jackson S. The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Organizational Behavior 2(2) 99-113, 1981.

  • Radloff L. The CES-D Scale : A Self-Report Depression Scale for Research in the General Population. Applied Psychological Measurement. 1(3) : 385-401, 1977.

  • Spielberger, CD. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology 1, 2010.

  • Yi MS, Mrus JM, Mueller CV, Luckhaupt SE, Peterman AH, Puchalski CM, Tsevat J. Self-rated health of primary care house officers and its relationship to psychological and spiritual well-being. BMC Med Educ. 2007 May 2;7:9. doi: 10.1186/1472-6920-7-9.

    PubMed 17474998
  • Shanafelt TD, Bradley KA, Wipf JE, Back AL. Burnout and self-reported patient care in an internal medicine residency program. Ann Intern Med. 2002 Mar 5;136(5):358-67. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-136-5-200203050-00008.

    PubMed 11874308
  • Richman JA, Flaherty JA, Rospenda KM, Christensen ML. Mental health consequences and correlates of reported medical student abuse. JAMA. 1992 Feb 5;267(5):692-4.

    PubMed 1731137

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing emWave in people with Burnout, Professional and Depression, run by Larkin Community Hospital at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 0 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: withdrawn, as of the sponsor's last update on 16 Oct 2023. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study was withdrawn before enrolling participants, so there are no results.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in Work Burnout Symptoms ( measured by Maslach Burnout Inventory) (Of note, changes in Work Burnout Symptoms & Findings by Medical Residents will be attempted to be observed) (time frame: Change from baseline work burnout symptoms after 8 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02736045, which also lists 7 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 16 Oct 2023; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 6 Nov 2026.

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